Last year was a real low for me at Dallas Southern Pride. There were good experiments that weren’t well attended, such as the Black and Brown Summit and the Tim’m T. West “Front Porch” concept, both on Friday. I also noticed that there was a lack of women’s programming available throughout the weekend and the “Big Pharm” lunch on Saturday was the first time I felt that we’d moved from a focus of HIV prevention to strictly maintenance. Yes, I did hear that there was testing going on, but I never saw it. Sure, there were hot boys to look at from the pictures I took and I’m sure they will be there again. However, this was so opposite of my experience at the first Dallas Southern Pride in 2005 that it was heartbreaking. Why heartbreaking? Because I remember meetings at the old Brick club where the foundational members individuals like Angela Amos with Women of Distinction, and Roy Murray of Black Knight Productions, and Garfield Lee made a point to move away from the mainly party presence themselves.
This year, a co-author of those experiments from last year, Venton Jones, has collaborated with Earl Fowlkes of the International Federation of Black Prides to create an event called the DFW Pride Movement. From its website, www.dfwpridemovement.org, it definitely reads the way I remember Dallas Southern Pride reading in 2005, with an emphasis on workshops. HIV testing, and arts advocacy. Parties and fashion events have always been there, too. However, the cohorts with DFW Pride Movement decided to leave the parties and nightlife events to Dallas Southern Pride, which I think will be a good move. Especially now that the new Dallas Southern Pride coordinators, Val Coleman and Kirk Myers, have officially referred to their events in the Dallas Voice as “a circuit party”, I think even they are walking more in their mission.
The organization, Women of Distinction, is holding separate parties and events under the heading, “Dallas Southern Pride/Her4Her”, and this is where things get confusing again. Not so much for their parties and receptions, but for their own set on workshops and events on Saturday and Sunday happening concurrently with DFW Pride Movement’s activities. Great speakers, authors, and filmmakers will be a part of both events; however they are at two separate hotels. Whew! Even the Austin mega-festival, South by Southwest, at least holds the trade show and most of the seminars in one building.
Yet, these are the learning curves of building a Black gay presence in Dallas and so I salute all of their efforts to meet the educational, community building, and entertainment demands. I have attempted to pull all the events together in one calendar listing here on the site. However, please check the sites, www.dallassouthernpride.com, and www.dfwpridemovement.org, for any last minute changes and/or entry fees. Whichever Pride events you attend, have fun and be safe. Also, I’ll be out with my camera so big smiles, please!
Related posts:
